GREEN LAKE, Wis. — The Green Lake Area Animal Shelter is taking in a large number of dogs from a Juneau County home.
The process has been going on for about a month now. So far, the owner of the dogs has surrendered 75 of them.
More are expected to be taken because the breeder is not licensed by the State Department of Agriculture as a dog seller, and she is not licensed by the county to have more than four dogs, which is the county limit.
Janine Rubeck is the manager of Green Lake Shelter. She said she and her team have been transporting a mix of golden doodles and other mixed breeds out of the illegal commercial operation.
Rubeck said the first step is socializing the dogs before they can be adopted.
“So, it’s going to take people with a lot of time, patience and commitment to understand that these dogs are going to be a lot of work and a project for a while,” Rubeck said. “They have no idea how to be a normal dog.”
Rubeck said some dogs have stayed at Green Lake Area Shelter and others transferred to nearby rescues.
“The main thing for people to understand is that these dogs have no idea how to be a normal dog,” Rubeck said. “The only human being they have ever seen has been this one woman, they’ve never left the property except to come here, so just things like offering them a treat and them taking a treat from your hand, they have no idea how to do that.”
That’s where Alysha Kloeckner comes in. She’s a certified dog trainer who works closely with the Shelter. She said it’s important to set the dogs up for success before they are adopted.
“The time frame on this is going to be led by the dog. It takes as long as it takes and each one of these dogs is going to be different,” Kloeckner said. “So, anyone looking to help or adopt just needs to be prepared that this is going to be a process.”
She said consumers who buy dogs from private businesses should always make sure they purchase from reputable breeders.
Rubeck said the socialization process will take time, but these dogs are not broken; they’re smart and resilient.
She said she asks that everyone be patient and supportive, and these dogs will find forever homes.
“Just patience that people have patience with us as an organization and with the dogs if they choose to adopt one because this is not an overnight process, this process take weeks and months not just to get the dogs but for the dogs to move on,” said Rubeck.